Automatic oil-cup.



PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

E. J. GRANT. AUTOMATIC OIL CUP.

APPLIGATION FILED OOT.29, 1907.

EDWIN J. GRANT, OF GUILFORD, MAINE.

AUTOMATIC OIL-CUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

Application filed October 29, 1967. Serial No. 399,677.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, EDWIN J. GRANT, a. citizen of the United States, residingv at Guilford, in the county of Piscataquis and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Oil-Cups, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention is an improved oil cup and thermostatic means for controlling the discharge of oil or. other lubricant therefrom,- the object beingto provide an automatic oil cup which will increase the supply of lubricant to a bearing which becomes heated so as to prevent overheating of said bearing, and said invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of arf'oiLcup constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig.- 3 is horizontal sectional view of the same on plane indicated by line a-a of Fig. 1.

The oil cup is here shown as com rising a base 1, a' cap 2 and a body 3. The mse and cap are preferably made of metal. The base particularly should be made of brass or other metal which is a good conductor of heat. Said base and cap are provided on their opposite sides with circular flanges 4, 5, respcctively, the flange 5 of the cap being iii-- tcriorly screw-throwlcd. The body 3 is a hollow cylinder, preferably of glass however, and open at its uppcr and lower ends with its lower end secured in a .circular scat (i in the upper side of the base and its upper end provided with screw threads engaging those of the cap 2 so that the cap may be readily dctacluulfrom the body of the cup and reattachcd thereto as may be rccplircd.

The base is provided with the usual depending threaded stem 7, whereby it may be readily secured to a hearing or detached therefrom. The oil feeding duct 8 extends through the base and through the stem thereof as shown. The boss S) is formed on the upper side of the base.around-the nippci end of the duct-8 and is provided witi an inverted frusto-conical seat 10, for a similarl shaped oil regulating valve 11. The sai base is further )rovidcd with a transverse sight bore 12, w rich intersects the duct 8 and is provided at its ends with transparent closures 13, )refcrably made of glass,

said sight bore ena )ling the passage of the oil through the duct to be 0 )served. The

tube 14, which has its upper end open,. and its lower end closed, also has its lower end secured in a socket 15, in the base 1 at a point in the center thereof. A column of mgrcury 16 is in the lower portion of the said tn )e.

The cap 2 is constructed with a pair of standards 17, which rise from its upper side, and which support a bridge piece 18, said standards terminating at their upper ends in screws 19, which pass through openings in the bridge piece, nuts .20 being provided to engage said screws and bear on said bridge piece to secure the latter firmly on the upper end of the standards, and yet allowing the bridge piece to be readily detached from the standards. The valve llis rod21, which extends upwar ly through and is guided in the openings in the cap 2 and in provided with a l the bridge piece. The upper end of the said valve rod is similarly threaded and is pro-' vided with an adjusting nut 22, which bears on the bridge piece. T he said valve rod is provided at a point above the cap 2 with a sto 23, which is here shown as a disk. A coi ed extensile spring 24 is placed on the said valve rodnnd bears between the bridge iccc and the said sto thereby serving to eep the valve rod amFhence also the valve normally depressed so that tho'valve normally closes to prevent the passage of lubricant from the cup through the duct to the bearing. In order to sct the valve at work to control the passage of lubricantthrough the duct, said valve must be adjusted to the rcquircd cxtcnt by means of the nut 22.

lbc piston :25 is fitted snugly'in the tube 14, to rise with the expansion of the column of mercury, and the said piston has a rod 26 which extends through and is guided by openings in the cap 2 and the bridge piece 18. Said piston rod 1S provided at a point above the ca withasto 28 whichishere shown as a disk one side of which bears under and engages one side of the stop .33 of the valve rod .21. A coiled extcnsile spring 29 which is on *the piston rod 26 bears between the brid e piece and the stop 28 and serves to normally do )rcss the piston.

in the operation of my improved -oil cup after the valve has been adjusted .by the nut 22 the oil is ermitted to pass 1) gravity drop by drop t n'ough the duct, emf the sight bo'rc enables the operator to readily adjust the valve and cause a suitable quantity of lubricant to be supplied to the bearing.

In the event that the valve is so adjusted that an insufficient quantity of lubricant is fed to the bearing and the latter becomes heated, the heat of the bearing is communicated to the base 1 ,"WlllCll, as before stated, is a good conductor of heat, so that the column of mercury in the tube 14 is caused to bearing cools the column of mercury con,-

tre the spring 29 causes the piston tobe lowered, and thesprmg .24 causes the valverod and hence thc velve also to be lowered; until the valve regains the position IILWlllChy it was set by the adjustment of the nut 22.

I do not desire to limit myself to the precise construction combination, and arrangement of devices herein described. and'shown, as it' is evident that modifications maybe made therein Within the scope of the appcnded claims.

Having thus descrifoed my invention,,what I claim as neW anddcsire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An automaticoil cup com rising a be "e and having an oil feed duct/and a valve seat at the upper end ot'said duct, a body on ,said base, a cap on said'ibooy and having s find? ards, a tube in the bm'l y, rising -from t} base and having it column of material e-xpansible by heat, a piston in said tube on said column and having an upwardly extemling rod operatingin an opening in the cap, said rod havinga stop above the cap, a valve to eoact with the valve seat to open and closethe oil feed duct, said val vc lmvingau upwardly tending rodoperating in an opening in the oil cup, said rod having a stop above that of the pistonu'od and adapted to come in contact therewith, a bridge-piececonnecting the standards and forming a guide for the valve rod and piston rod, a spring to de rose the valve, a not on said valve rod to a. just said valve and a spring to depress the piston.

2. An automatic oil cup having a thermostatically-acting device and a valve 0 erated in one direction by and adjustable in ependentlyof the thern'lostatically-acting device."

3. An automatic oil cu comprising a base having an oil feed duct, a )ody on the base, a cap on and removable from the body, ther mostatically-acting means having an element ont hebase and in the body and incl'ud- 111g a movable elementliaving a rod provided with a stop, a valve to open and 'close the Oil feed ductland having a rod provided with a,

stop, said rods extending through and being guided byopenings in the cap; and said stops coactmg to cause the valve to move with t is -movable element of thethermostatically aeting means. i V g 4. An automatic oil cupgcomprlsmg a base havmg an. Oil teed duct, a ody onthe base, a

cap on and removable from the body, ther- .mostatically-acting means having an element on the base and in the body and includwith a stop, avalve to open and close the oil feed duct and having a rod provided with a stop, said-rods extending throughand being guided by openings in the capand said stops ,ing a movable element having a rod provided In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence ol' two Witnesses.

' EDWlN J. (xRA'NTR Witnesses: i J. S. Winn/ms, 

